MenuBuddy

A complete MonoGame library for building menu systems and managing game state transitions. Based on the NetworkStateManagement samples from the golden age of XNA.

Features

• Screen-based architecture – Stack-based screen management with automatic transitions
• Multiple input modes – Support for controller, mouse, and touch input
• Rich widget library – Labels, buttons, sliders, dropdowns, text input, checkboxes, and more
• Flexible layouts – Absolute, relative, stack, scroll, padded, and tree layouts
• Customizable styling – Global stylesheet for consistent appearance across your UI
• Smooth transitions – Built-in fade, slide, and wipe transitions between screens
• Multi-platform – Works on DesktopGL, iOS, Android, and Windows Universal

Quick Install

dotnet add package MenuBuddy

Minimal Example

using MenuBuddy;
using Microsoft.Xna.Framework;

public class MyGame : MouseGame
{
    public MyGame()
    {
        VirtualResolution = new Point(1280, 720);
        ScreenResolution = new Point(1280, 720);
    }

    public override IScreen[] GetMainMenuScreenStack()
    {
        return new IScreen[] { new MainMenuScreen() };
    }
}

public class MainMenuScreen : MenuStackScreen
{
    public MainMenuScreen() : base("Main Menu") { }

    public override async Task LoadContent()
    {
        await base.LoadContent();

        var startButton = new MenuEntry("Start Game", Content);
        startButton.OnClick += (sender, e) =>
        {
            ScreenManager.AddScreen(new GameplayScreen());
        };
        AddMenuEntry(startButton);
    }
}

Documentation

Page	Description
Getting Started	Installation, setup, and your first menu
Architecture	High-level design and class relationships
Screens	Screen types, lifecycle, and management
Widgets	Labels, buttons, sliders, dropdowns, and more
Layouts	Absolute, stack, relative, scroll, padded, and tree layouts
Styling	Global theming with the StyleSheet class
Transitions	Screen transition effects and animation
Input	Controller, mouse, and touch input handling
API Reference	Complete interface and class reference

Dependencies

MenuBuddy depends on several companion libraries, all installed automatically via NuGet:

• FontBuddy – Font rendering
• InputHelper – Input state management
• ResolutionBuddy – Resolution management
• PrimitiveBuddy – Primitive rendering
• GameTimer – Timing utilities
• HadoukInput – Controller input
• MouseBuddy – Mouse input
• TouchScreenBuddy – Touch input
• MatrixExtensions – Matrix utilities
• Vector2Extensions – Vector utilities

Sample Project

For a complete working example, see MenuBuddySample.

License

MIT License – see LICENSE for details.